NOTE: Yelp requires you rate (in stars) the business you are reviewing. I put ONE STAR. I would have liked the option of NO STARS, but anyways. I rent from the proprietor of this business, Mr. Robert Hall. My neighbors were growing marijuana in the basement, beneath my unit. Mr. Hall knew and assisted in this. They had a 1000 watt grow light mounted to the floorboards under my only entrance and exit from this unit. It was a fire/safety hazard. The smell of marijuana made my apartment reek, as well as the street in front of the building for an entire block. Police got involved, and ultimately busted the neighbors but not the landlord. Who gets evicted? Me. Why? He wants to renovate. Right. I know of one other instance where he has been involved in marijuana cultivation in the basement of another unsuspecting tenant. For years I have had an oven that will not turn completely off. His response? There wasn't one. He ignored it, just as he ignored the falling toilet, which my roommate had to repair himself with no reimbursement. The building has a horrible roach infestation. His response? "Ya'll need to spray." No, Mr. Hall, YOU need to spray. He has smugly shown off his guns in a way it was obvious he was making a threat, but he was slick enough to not be within the law's definition of threatening someone. He threatened to evict before, and lie about not receiving the rent. He tried to send a verbal 'eviction notice' by a third party that was NOT an officer of the court. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard this man say, "I am the landlord, I can do whatever the hell I want." He has tried to walk all over me, but I am holding my ground. IF you elect to rent from this guy, I'd be VERY, VERY careful. You will get the short end of the stick. He will expect you to pay him rent AND maintain the unit FOR HIM, without reimbursement or a decrease in rent. I would take pictures if I were you, and call in codes to see if you have gotten one of his band-aid fix-up jobs. While codes are present, I'd ask them to inspect neighboring units to determine if any of their utilities are feeding off your meters. If your utilities are higher than expected, I'd contact the utility company and complain that he is potentially spiking into your power--if the utilities are in your name. If not, use codes to find this out. I would call the police IMMEDIATELY if you smell a skunky type smell coming from the unit. Once his chops get bused in one location, he packs up and moves it. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS get a receipt from this piece of work. If you piss him off or hurt his little feelings, he'll lie, saying you don't pay him rent. Get with your neighbors and make sure the rent levels are balanced and proportionate. A good example of what I mean: My neighbors get 3/4 of the building @$300/month + Utility Reimbursement. I get 1/4 of the building @$400/month + Utility Reimbursement. I can hear your question/suggestion: Maybe the other unit is in worse shape? No. Not at all. DO NOT LET HIM RIP YOU OFF OR INTIMIDATE YOU--HE WILL TRY! The best way to deal with this landlord is to NOT RENT FROM HIM, but if you are ALREADY renting from him (or don't heed this review and decide to rent from him), use every right you have at your disposal! If you don't, he'll trample all over them. If you are a minority or of a race other than white, he'll treat you like second-rate garbage. RENTERS BEWARE--YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! read more